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Some Background
Memorandum on the planned US Air base at Kleiaat, Bibnin Akkar,
Lebanon, site of proposed US Air base Nahr al-Bared Palestinian
refugee Camp. On July 14, 1982, (Bastille Day) the late Bashir
Gemayel sat with Ariel Sharon, Raphael Eytan, and Danny Yalon at the
French flag draped Le Chef Restaurant in Achrafieh, east Beirut for
one of their working lunches.
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The 1982 Israeli Lebanon War
As was by now their habit, the Israelis were inclined to pressure
their recently anointed selection for Lebanon's next president. They
were there to present a request for one more favor from the handsome
'golden boy' of the Phalange movement, as their army tightened its
noose around west Beirut.
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Lebanon's Bashir A Sycophant To Israelis
There was a good chance they would succeed . After all, Basher
was beholden to the Zionists, for their many 'considerations',
including the arms for drugs arrangements, the weapons skimmed from
what the US reflectively shipped to Israel on demand, the
intelligence sharing and assassinations of Palestinians who Bashir
could not abide. The trio lunching with him that day, under the
celebratory French flags in this Francophone neighborhood could
easily destroy Bashir Gemayel and he knew it.
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Arrogant Israeli Pigs
Yet, despite their intimidating talk, the self described 'cream
of the IDF', exhibiting what Bashir had often explained to his nerdy
younger brother Amin, who, unexpectedly was to become his successor
as President of Lebanon, and to some of his aids, was a case of
'congenital arrogance' erred that day.
They seriously underestimated the Palestinian hating, Muslim
despising, would be phonetician Prince, Le sheik Bashir. In
misjudging the charismatic Maronite, the Israeli trio had failed to
appreciate that, on any day of the week, the average Lebanese is
rather more sophisticated, clever, descent, and patriotic than many
Israeli or American politicians give them credit for.
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Israelis Want An Air Force Base
Sharon pulled out a piece of paper from his chest pocket, as one
Phalange security person who guarded the restaurant door recalls,
and shoved it across the table to Basher. Written on it was Israel's
'one last request' which contained one word: Kleiaat
The Israelis studied Bashir's face for a sign of his reaction as he
picked up the small piece of paper. Bashir, appearing to suppress a
yawn, had heard this 'one last request' hustle many times and had
long felt contempt for what he called "these pressure lunches." Yet,
former alter boy that he was, the martyred, and still much loved
Lebanese patriot, pressed his lips together and listened politely as
is the Lebanese custom, as Sharon expounded on the details.
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Bashir, fuming inside and about to erupt in anger as he had
sometimes done previously when he felt squeezed by Sharon, instead
smiled at the anxious trio. He leaned forward and whispered with a
voice they still say in his Bekfayya neighborhood, would make women
swoon: 'you will not be disappointed, my dear friends".
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Bashir Meets With His Aids
Sharon was delirious with Bashir's response and slapped him on
the back, a gesture of friendship that the former parish crucifer
found deeply offensive.
Returning to his Achrafieh Headquarters, bounding up the stairs to
his office to meet with aids, where less than two months later, he
would die from an assassins' bomb which would level the building and
killed and wounded more than 200, Bashir bellowed as he entered his
office, "An Israeli air base in Lebanon? Those crazy sons of bitches
won't get one grain of sand from Kleiaat"
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Nearly 25 years to the day later, some well informed sources
within the Palestinian community as well as, Sunni, Shia, and
Christian political analysts, agree on one point. In a coma as he
may be, but Ariel Sharon may still get that one last favor he
coveted.
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Lebanon Officials Today
As residents of Bibnin Akkar, less than two miles from the site
of the proposed US base and the Lebanese daily newspaper Aldiyar
speculate, construction of a US air base on the grounds of the
largely abandoned air base at Klieg in northern Lebanon may begin
late this year. To make the project more palpable, it is being
promoted as a 'US/NATO' base that will serve as the headquarters of
a NATO rapid deployment force, helicopter squadrons, and Special
Forces units.
The base will provide training for the Lebanese army and security
forces fighting Salafi, Islamist fundamentalists and other needs.
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Brain Child Of The Pentagon
The Pentagon and NATO HQ in Belgium have given the project which,
will sit along the Lebanese-Syrian border, using this vast area "as
a base for fast intervention troops", a name. It is to be called The
Lebanese Army and Security training centre".
Kleiaat, a nearly now abandoned small airport, was used by Middle
East Airlines for a period for commuter flights between Beirut and
Tripoli. Residents of the area report than during the Civil War
(1975-1990) a commuter Helicopter service was also operated due to
road closures.
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The Airport Location
The proposed base was measured by this observer to be roughly two and
one-half miles down the beach from
Nahr al-Bared Palestinian Camp. Both
share pristine Mediterranean beachfront. Kleiaat is an expanse of gently
undulating sandy dunes covered with long prairie grass and brush.
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Despite opposition from Lebanon's anemic environmental movement, that
argues that the pristine area should be left to its many varieties of
birds and wildlife, the local community is watching closely.
Not much activity is going on as of May 29, 2007. About 20 Quonset huts,
some recently driven stakes, no evidence of heavy equipment or building
material. The three man army outpost fellows appeared bored and did not
even ask for ID as I toured the whole area on the back of a fine new BMW
2200cc motorcycle courtesy of one of the local militia sniper guys who
until two days ago was firing into Nahr al-Bared until the Lebanese army
stopped him after the PLO leadership complained.
Lebanese Businessmen Are Excited
Lebanese entrepreneurs at Bibnin Akkar, a Sunni community loyal to the
Hariri's, and who will be the chief financial winners from the project,
see opportunities with thousands of new construction and related jobs
coming. One kind fellow who hooked me up last night to intermittent
internet via a jerry rigged dial up arrangement on one of his shop's two
computers envisages running a fine new internet café with at least 50
wireless computers. Hotels, restaurants and businesses of various sorts
are planning expansions to meet the demand of the expected workforce.
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Palestine Refugees Get Nothing
Who will not benefit from the building boom will be the 40,000+
Palestinians from Nahr al-Bared which is literally next door to the
anticipated project These refugees, who were driven from their homes a
in Palestine in 1948 and 1967, from Tal-Al-Zattar by the Phalangists in
1975, and others who came as a result of Israeli attacks on Lebanon in
1978, 1982, 1993, 1996, and 2006, will gain no work from Kleiaat. The
reason is that the 70 top trades and professions in Lebanon are denied
to the Palestinians under Lebanese law.
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Even if the 20,000 Palestinians displaced by the current conflict with
Fatah al-Islam are allowed to return, which I expect will be the case,
and even if Palestinian fears that the Camps will be demolished are
unrealized, as I believe, they will remain destitute, according to UNWRA
who considers 10,000 of them 'special hardship cases".
As reported by the NATO headquarters in Brussels, as well as by
residents in Bibnin Akkar on May 28, 2007, an American-German-Turkish
military delegation toured and surveyed Akkar region. US Embassy 'staff'
have reportedly visited Kleiaat airport earlier this year to look over
the site. David Welch also had a quick look at the site during his
recent visit.
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Bush Had A Vision
A Lebanese journalist who opposes the base commented on May 28,
2007, "The Bush administration has been warning Lebanon about the
presence of Al Qaeda teams in northern Lebanon. And the base is
needed to deal with this threat. Low and behold, a new "terrorist
group" called Fatah al-Islam appears near Kleiaat at al-Bared camp".
The Pentagon argues that the military base will contribute to the
development and the economic recovery in the region, advising the
Lebanese government to focus on the financial aspect and positive
reflection on the population (95% Sunni) of the region.
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Contenders for the billion dollar project, according to the Pentagon
procurement office could be Bechtel and Halliburton and other
Contractors currently doing projects in Iraq.
The martyred Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, saw potential for the Kleiaat
airport as well. But he opposed a US air base. Instead, Hariri, which
the green grocer who sells fruits and vegetables to the Lebanese army
patrolling the Tripoli-Syria four lane road in front of Nahr al-Bared,
commented, " Rafik Hariri, may he rest in peace, loved Lebanon. But he
never saw a piece of real estate he didn't want to develop!" Hariri
envisaged a billion dollar Free Commercial Zone and a port, despite
Syrian opposition, and had investors lined up before he was murdered.
Damascus was opposed to the Hariri dream because the new Port and Free
Zone would drain the revenues from the nearby Syrian Port at Lathikiya.
Elliot Abrams
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According to Washington observers watching developments, the base
has been pushed by elements in the office of the US Secretary of
Defense and the Joint Chiefs of Staff at the urging of Israeli
operative Elliot Abrams. AIPAC can be expected to do the necessary
work in Congress and with House Foreign Affairs, Appropriations,
Intelligence, and Armed Service committees hermetically sealed by
stalwarts of the Israel Lobby, it can be expected that it will be
added as a rider to an unsuspecting House bill coming along.
"We need to get this base built as quickly as possible as a forward
thrust point against Al Qaeda and other (read Hezbollah)
terrorists", according to AIPAC staffer Rachael Cohen. Asked if
Israel will offer training and advisors to the Lebanese army, Ms.
Cohen replied, "we will see what we will see, Lebanon, smezzanon its
not about them, its about stopping the terrorists stupid!"
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"The question for Lebanon is whether the Lebanese people
will allow the base to be built. Few in North Lebanon doubt that Israel
will have access to the base " according to Oathman Bader, a community
leader who lives in Bahr al-Bared but has fled to Badawi.
Fatah al-Islam and their allies have pledged martyrdom operations to
stop the project, according to the Fatah Intifada, the group that
expelled Fatah al-Islam from their camp on November 27, 2006.
According to a columnist at Beirut's Al-Akbar newspaper," a US project
like that would split Lebanon apart. No way will Lebanon allow it.
Probably every group in Lebanon would oppose it , from the Salafi,
Islamists fundamentalist to moderate Sunnis to Hezbollah. Can you
imagine the Syrian reaction?"
Commenting on this project, one Arab-American from Boston, doing
volunteer work at the Palestinian Red Crescent Hospital, Safad, noted:
"Hopefully the US pro Middle East peace, pro-Palestinian, and
pro-Lebanon organizations with better phone and internet connections
that exist locally, will join the opposition in Lebanon to this base and
fight it in Congress. Welch and the US Embassy in Beirut should be
questioned about it"
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